Characteristic of soils of Odesa City

Abstract

In the article, the basic morphological features, physical and chemical properties of soils of Odesa, analyzed indicators nutrient content, humus pHN2O, soil particle size distribution. The composition of salts and absorbed bases in soils is established. The purpose of this study is to characterize the soil cover of Odesa City. 47 full-profile sections were laid in 9 key sections in the city area. Key areas are characterized by the different anthropogenic impact on the soil upper layer and intensity of its use. According to the result of the studies of soils in Odesa City, the following groups of soils are distinguished in the territory of the city: natural undisturbed soils, anthropogenically externally disturbed natural soils, anthropogenically deeply disturbed soils (urban-soils). For natural undisturbed and anthropogenically externally disturbed natural soils, heavy loamy and medium loam granulometric composition is characteristic in most cases. The upper horizons of the soils of the firth overspill have a lighter composition – from light loamy to sandy. The granulometric composition of urban soils is heavy loamy, during a tendency toward its alleviation due to the anthropogenic increase of the content of sand fractions and skeletal material. A characteristic feature of undisturbed soils of the Odesa City is fairly high variability in the nitrogen content of nitrification, mobile phosphorus and exchange potassium, and organic substance. The sum of the absorbed bases in natural undisturbed and anthropogenically externally disturbed natural soils, as in urban areas, is low. The ratio between calcium and magnesium ranges from 2:1 to 6:1. Automorphic soils are predominantly weakly solonetzic. Marsh soils are characterized by a certain increase in the proportion of sodium from the sum of the absorbed bases - up to 36.47 %. Natural humus soils are characterized by a lack of salinity. Meadow soils from the surface have a weak degree of chloride type of salinity, and an average and a strong degree of chloride type of salinity is noted down to the profile. Urban soils have a weak degree of chloride-sulfate salinization, associated with the use of mixtures against ice in winter. Marsh soils have a strong degree of soda-chloride type of salinity from the surface. Key words: Odesa, urban soils, anthropogenic transformation of urban soils.